A pair of pale golden eyes stared up at Sylvia from the bottom of the crater, dim, yet still holding a sharpness that made the hair on her neck stand on end.
'"It depends," you say?' Baihu's voice echoed in their minds, hoarse and weak, but with something like bitter laughter in it. 'It has been a very long time since any human dared to answer like that. They usually prostrate themselves, beg for blessings, or brandish weapons while trembling.'
"I'm not the type to prostrate myself," Sylvia replied lightly, stepping to the edge of the spiral stone staircase that descended to the crater floor. "And I only carry weapons when I need to. May I come down?"
The white tiger did not answer right away. His eyes shifted, passed over Sylvia, and came to rest on the giant golden dragon standing rigid at the crater's rim. His two round ears twitched slowly.
'Golden Dragon,' he whispered. 'I know that aura. The bloodline of the sky guardians. What is your name, young one?'
